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Fonte do Bastardo & Serra do Cume
Before continuing further north along the coast, it is worthwhile making a detour to the interior of the island into the region of ‘Ramo Grande’, extending between Cabo da Praia and Agualva in the north of the island. The village of Fonte do Bastardo boasts a very picturesque ‘império’ from 1918 and pretty rural houses from the 18th and 19th centuries, built of a local stone perpendicularly to the road in the characteristic architecture of this region, with its main features being sash windows paint in bright colours.
Continuing still further inland, you will reach the green mountain range of Serra do Cume, the remains of a crater rim, reaching an altitude of 545 m and providing the most complete view of the island. To the north and east, the splendid panorama embraces the plateau of Lajes, gently descending towards the coast, and the bay of Praia da Vitória and its coastline. To the west, the endless views extend across the island’s vast, gently undulating centre, enchanting the eye with its contrasting landscapes, as far as the island’s highest point, the Serra de Santa Barbara. Another feature dominating the views in this area is the incredible intense green of the extensive pastureland, with its cerrados (meadows walled-in with black basalt) giving the impression of a huge patchwork, which covers the slopes of the Serra do Cume and the enormous Caldera of Guilherme Moniz. Other characteristics of Terceira’s landscapes are colourful hydrangea-lined roads, barren badlands (called mistérios), small, idyllic lakes, such as Lagoa do Junco and Lagoa do Ginjal as well as many peaks and extinct craters. At the north-eastern foot of the Serra do Cume lies Fontinhas, by many considered the prettiest village of the island, which received its name from the numerous springs originating here.
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